If you’re considering booking a short break this spring, why not do something a little different? Instead of heading for a beach in Greece or a city break in Paris, get away from it all with a spiritual break, designed to help you relax and unwind. Leave the stress of daily life far behind and enjoy focusing on yourself for a few days – perfect!

Choosing the right retreat

There are plenty of retreat centers across the UK offering meditative and spiritual retreats. Most are located in rural settings where you’ll find peace and tranquillity and almost all offer a warm welcome and home-cooked meals (usually vegetarian) – some also offer a range of optional trips to see the area. Choosing the right retreat will depend on your budget, available dates and your location in the country, but a quick search on Google can help you to find a few options to choose from. You’ll find yoga, meditation and Buddhist retreats across the country.

Why choose a retreat?

Going on a retreat is a great way to get into meditation if you’ve never tried it before. Group meditation is ideal to motivate you and get you started, and spending a few days or a week solely focusing on meditative practice will help to inspire you. Body, Mind and Soul retreats or those which focus on healing meditation offer respite from constantly ringing mobile phones and the stresses and strains of everyday life, so they’re ideal if you’re stressed or feeling depressed or anxious.

What will you learn?

On a spiritual or meditative retreat, you can learn a variety of things. One of the best types of retreat for those new to this kind of break is an introductory retreat, where you’ll learn the basics of the discipline and technique of meditative practice. By the time you leave, you’ll feel confident enough to continue your practice once you go home, and many retreats will offer guided meditation CD’s to allow you to continue practicing.

Lying on a beach and soaking up the sun is all very well, but when you consider the thousands of thoughts we all have running through our heads every day, it’s easy to see why you could actually spend more time dwelling on negative thoughts when you have nothing else to do! Taking off on a spiritual retreat is a far more productive way of gaining perspective on any issues that are bothering you – you won’t only be giving your body a break, but your mind too! Meditation can help your rational mind to take over, giving your emotional brain a break from the stress it deals with on a daily basis; this can help you to feel more balanced and stable. You may pay a bit more for the privilege of guided meditation sessions for a weekend, but the benefits it will bring to your life far outweigh the financial cost! Everyone should consider a meditative or spiritual retreat in this Spring Break for a happier, healthier year.